Aussie star Mackenzie Little overcomes injury-plagued year to deliver clutch final throw to earn javelin bronze at the World Athletics Championships
Aussie star Mackenzie Little overcomes injury-plagued year with final throw to earn javelin bronze at World Athletics Championships
- World titles are held in Budapest
- Three Australian women made it to the final
- Little’s final throw secured her place on the podium
Australia’s Mackenzie Little has won the final round bronze medal in the women’s javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships.
For much of the competition, it looked like Australia’s three-way challenge would end with no one securing a spot on the podium.
But 26-year-old Little had other ideas.
Her final throw of 63.38 meters lifted her from fifth to second position, before Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi blew the competition apart with a massive jump of 66.73 meters, which was good enough for gold.
Little’s bronze was Australia’s third medal at the world titles in Budapest.
Little has struggled with injuries this season, but overcame those setbacks to claim the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships
Little celebrates after realizing she had done enough with a huge final throw to earn her place on the podium in Budapest
Colombian Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado (65.47m) took silver.
In recent years, two-time defending champion Kelsey-Lee Barber has regularly shown off last-round heroics.
But she couldn’t find her way to the podium on Friday night (early Saturday AEST), eventually finishing seventh with 61.19m.
It was the first time since 2017 that Barber had come away from a major championship without a medal.
National record holder Kathryn Mitchell threw her water bottle on the floor in frustration and stormed out of the arena in tears after tearing her adductor muscles during her final warmup just minutes before the finals began.
The 41-year-old has had an injury-plagued year, only qualifying for the championships last month.
It was a nervous finish for Little, who saved her best for last to claim the bronze medal in a smashing final with two other Aussies
Silver medalist Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado of Cuba, Gold medalist Haruki Kitaguchi of Japan and Bronze medalist Mackenzie Little of Australia
There was also bad luck for Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Ash Moloney and Cedric Dubler, both of whom were unable to complete the first day of the decathlon due to injury.
Moloney languished in 16th spot after the first three disciplines of the grueling two-day event before reluctantly pulling the pin out due to a hamstring strain.
Dubler held out only one more time before he too withdrew.
Australian record holder Catriona Bisset and Abbey Caldwell were eliminated in the 800m semi-finals.
The 22-year-old Caldwell was able to put a lot of courage into crossing the two-minute mark for the first two times in her career in Budapest.
Australia failed to complete the baton in the opening round of the women’s 4x100m relay after Bree Masters and Kristie Edwards made a mess of the second substitution.